Chapter 2: Saying Goodbye
As the family stepped off the train to Manehattan, the first thing Storm noticed was that it was raining. He felt like it was some sort of cruel, sick joke that the weather ponies came up with. It wasn't a joke however, it was more of a tribute to the three ponies who were lost. Only one good thing came out of the rain for Storm, and that was the fact that it hid his tears.
As the three ponies were walking through town, Storm realized they had nowhere to stay for the time being. "Um... Where are we going to go for the next couple days? We can't just stand out here in the rain." He pointed out, looking back at his parents and waiting for a response from one of them.
His mom was the first to answer, telling him that they would be staying in a hotel for awhile. Storm let her take the lead, seeing as she would probably know the best where they were going. She led them to the hotel, and held open the door to let them go inside first. She checked them in and headed for their hotel room.
Storm and his sister had always loved hotels when they were younger, seeing as they had a new place to explore together. Now it only caused sadness, and hatred for reality. He wanted to get out of that place as soon as he could, and hopefully get away from all the memories it brought up. Sure he wanted his sister back more than anything, but if that wasn't going to happen he didn't want to think about her anymore. Once everything was set up, Storm said "I'll be back," and left the hotel room.
He walked through the pouring rain, on a mission to get one thing. He kept walking til he found a flower shop, and entered silently. He searched the shop for awhile, before finding a blue rose, the same color as Magma's coat. "She always loved these... I think it's for the best that she gets one more..." He said to himself.
A mare working at the shop overheard him saying something, and walked over to ask him about it. She noticed the flower, and instantly knew what it was for. She decided that she would just give it to Storm for free, it was the only thing she could really do to help. "Who did you lose?" She asked, showing a bit of sadness in her voice.
Storm took a minute to answer, seeing as he was still fighting back tears. "Magma Storm, she was my sister... The only mare I ever truly cared about... My best friend of all time." He answered.
The mare gave him an apologetic look, and told him that he didn't need to pay for the rose. He had insisted on paying for it, but the mare wanted him to keep it. Eventually, Storm just gave in, thanked the pony, and walked back to the hotel. When he got back, he set the rose on the table, and decided it would be best to get some sleep.
Three days later the time of the funeral finally came. It would've been sooner, but the other two ponies came first. After a few hours of crying, Storm was ready to go. He wiped the tears from his eyes, put on the black suit his mom had bought for him, grabbed the rose then left the hotel room.
Every step towards the exit got harder and harder for Storm. He knew that every step he took was bringing him one step closer to seeing the lifeless body of the one pony he truly loved. it got even harder when he exited the hotel because it was bringing him even closer.
His parents led the way, seeing as Storm had no idea where to go. He almost couldn't look as they reached the building they were supposed to go to. He almost didn't want to go in, he couldn't stand the sight of his sister anymore. He kept pushing forward though, knowing this was his last chance to say goodbye.
They walked into the building, and Storm burst into tears again. He walked over to see his sister's lifeless body lying in a coffin. Even through his crying, he managed to at least say a few things. "Magma... I'm sorry I couldn't be there... I never got to say goodbye..." He said, struggling to speak. "I'm sure you knew it already, but I still couldn't have ever told you enough how much I loved you... You meant the world to me, and now you're gone..." He continued. "Goodbye Magma, I'll never forget you." After those last words, he broke down again, staining parts of Magma's coat with tears.
His parents decided it would be for the best if they took him back to the hotel until the burial. Storm didn't want to let them take him away, but part of him was saying it was for the best. He couldn't help but keep thinking one thing. Magma... Please... You can't be gone. You just can't be...
Storm had to wait at the hotel room for a few hours, most of which he spent crying. Eventually, his parents came in, informing him it was finally time for the burial. I just have to last a little bit longer... Then it'll all be over... He thought. As he walked towards the cemetery, he did everything he could to fight back tears.
He reached the spot where Magma would be buried, and instantly started crying again. This time, he was only able to say one thing. "Goodbye Magma... I love you." He whispered, then backed away a bit.
After that, he could only watch as they lowered the casket into the ground. He was finally able to fight back tears, just for awhile. Once they had completely lowered the casket into the ground, and slowly covered it up with dirt. It was official, Magma was gone, and she was never coming back. Storm placed his rose on the patch of dirt in front of the tombstone, said one more goodbye, and then ran off.
Later that night, Storm came back for one more time. "Hey Magma... I'm back. I know you're not on this earth anymore... But I know you're still here for me, somewhere." He said, mostly talking to himself. "Remember some of the good times we spent together? Like when we always spent time just staring up at the stars?" He said, thinking back to some of the nights when they lived in Cloudsdale together.
It was a cloudless night, save for the clouds that made up the city. Storm and Magma were lying outside, staring up at the sky. "They're beautiful aren't they?" Magma asked. Storm simply nodded in response.
The two of them just laid there in silence for awhile, just pointing out all the constellations they knew. At some point Storm noticed Magma shivering a bit, and hugged her to warm her up. "Stormy, you're the best brother I could ever ask for." Magma said, returning her brother's embrace. As strange as it would seem to anypony around them, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
As if waking up from a dream, Storm stopped thinking about that day. He tried to remember another good time he had with his sister. "Oh, and that one day when we went to see the Wonderbolts together." He remembered.
Magma walked to the Cloudsdale Colosseum, her brother following close behind. "Come on Stormy, we're gonna be late if we don't hurry up." She said jokingly, causing Storm to smile like an idiot.
"You're walking just as fast as I am." Storm reminded her in the same joking tone she had used when she talked to him.
The two of them shared a good laugh as they continued walking towards the colosseum. Before they knew it, they had arrived. Magma handed the gate keeper their tickets, and he let them inside. She had bought the tickets as an early birthday present for Storm.
The two of them walked in and found their seats and and sat down. Magma snuggled up close to Storm. Well, as close as she could with the edge of the seats in the way. A few of the ponies around them thought the two were dating, but nopony decided to comment on it.
The performance started a few minutes later, although Storm and Magma weren't fully focused on it. Sure they watched it for the most part, but there were also times when they just stopped watching to talk to each other about random things.
When the performance ended, the two of them left the stadium. Without even realizing it, Storm made ponies assume the two were dating even more by wrapping his wing around Magma gently. "I can never tell you enough how much I love you Magma." Storm said.
"Aw... You're so sweet Stormy." Magma replied, then kissed Storm lightly on the cheek, causing both of them to blush. It wasn't something most sisters would do, but Magma wasn't quite like other sisters. The walk home that night ended with the two of them just silently smiling.
Another memory came to an end, and Storm smiled with tears in his eyes. He felt like all these conversations were all it took to make him feel better. "Magma, I don't know if you can hear me now... But I'm glad I got to spend so many good times with you... Thank you for being the best sister any little brother could ask for. Some day we'll be reunited again, I promise you that." He said with a smile. "Until that day comes, you'll be in my memories, and in my heart." He added.
He got up and walked away, finally having the closure he needed. He was ready to move on without Magma, although he would still never forget her. After all, she was the only reason he was so happy with his life before, and even just the memory of her would keep him from giving up on his life now.
Author's Note
Sorry guys, I know I promised this would be a better chapter, but I've had... Some things going on that are apparently having a huge impact on my writing skills, and my wonderful editor decided not to be of too much help with this one...
The story is still marked as incomplete because I'm not sure if there's gonna be an epilogue or not.
Chapter 1: Broken Promises
Endless Storm was an average pegasus stallion from Ponyville. He had a beige coat and a blonde mane and tail. He may not have had many friends, but he didn't care too much. Even if he hadn't seen her in awhile, he had a sister who cared about him and that's all he needed. It may have been two years since they last saw each other, but they made a promise that they would see each other again someday, and that was all Storm needed to know to keep him happy. However, one event was all it took to change his life forever.
It was an ordinary day in Ponyville, the sun was shining, the sky was clear and Endless Storm was left with nothing to do. He had gotten his work done early, clearing the sky much quicker with the help of the other weather ponies. He sat there for awhile, wondering what he could possibly do on such a boring day. He finally decided to turn on the tv, thinking he might find something interesting to watch.
The news was on, and by the look on the reporter's face he could tell something terrible had happened. Curious about what it could've been, he continued watching. "Three of the Manehattan weather ponies were killed today by a thunderstorm that they lost control of." Storm instantly became concerned. He always worried when other pegasi got hurt, even if he didn't know them. The reporter named off three ponies, but only one name caught Storm's attention.
"... and finally, Magma Storm." The reporter said. Storm could've sworn his heart stopped right then and there.
"My sister? No, that's not true... Maybe I misheard the report or something." He said, trying to find every possibility to prove that his sister was okay. He calmed down slightly, and continued listening to the report.
"Their families will be notified as soon as possible." The reporter announced, and with that, Storm shut off the tv, unable to watch anymore. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. He knew exactly what it was about, and he didn't want to answer the door. He knew he had no choice, so he took a deep breath, walked to the door, and opened it slowly.
Standing there was a grey pegasus with a blonde mane and tail. If he remembered correctly, her name was Derpy Hooves. Even with her unusual eyes, she still had a look on her face almost more serious than Storm's. "Are you Endless Storm?" She asked. Storm simply nodded in response.
"Y-you're here about my sister, aren't you?" He asked nervously, the sadness obviously showing in his voice. The mare gave a similar response to the one Storm had, just silently nodding. There was no denying it anymore, his older sister, the only pony he ever cared about was gone and there was nothing he could do about it.
Overcome by sadness, he didn't even think, just hugged the mare and cried. He would worry about how strange it was later, for the time being he was too sad to care. The mare hugged him back, like he assumed she had been doing all day for other ponies. It would explain why her coat was wet in some places.
After a minute of just hugging the mare and crying, he let go and backed up a bit. The mare waved at him, neither of them wanting to say a word, then flew off. Storm shut the door behind the mare, then walked back to the couch.
Once he was there, he just collapsed and began crying more than he had when the mare had been there. "It's not fair... She was the only one... I ever cared about... Now she's gone and I didn't even get to say goodbye." He said to nopony but himself, occasionally stopping for what seemed like no reason. "I suppose... She would want me to move on, right? She always wanted to see me happy." He said, still just talking to himself.
He knew that that wasn't going to happen, but he had to at least try. He thought the best thing to do for the time being was to go to Manehattan, and figure out when the funeral was so that he could be there to say goodbye to her, even if he was too late. He would also have to stop by Cloudsdale to see his parents, to make sure they knew what happened. He stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes, and headed for the front door.
Once he got outside, he walked to the balloon that brought ponies to Cloudsdale. Normally he would just fly there, but this time he just couldn't. As he walked up to the pony who controlled the balloon, he could only hope he didn't get questioned about the fact that he had clearly just been crying. "Hey kid, you okay?" The pony asked. It was clear that h hadn't heard about what happened yet.
"I'm fine... Just, take me to Cloudsdale... I have some ponies to meet up with there." Storm answered. The pony decided not to question him any further, just letting Storm onto the balloon and then taking off. The entire time Storm was forced to fight back tears, no matter how difficult it was.
Once they reached Cloudsdale, Storm thanked the pony and got off the balloon and into the cloud city. He walked through town, avoiding eye contact with anypony and taking the quickest route to his parents' house. When he reached the house, he knocked on the door, getting an answer from his dad. A blue pegasus with a mane and tail similar to Storm's.
Usually Storm's dad was always smiling, making jokes, and just all around having fun. For once, things had changed completely. It appeared as if he had been crying just as much as Storm, and he couldn't even fake a smile anymore. "I suppose you heard what happened... Come in." He said weakly. "Your mom and I were just about to go to Manehattan, the funeral is in a few days." He explained.
Hearing that, Storm completely broke down again. It must've been a strange sight for both of them. Storm rarely saw his dad cry and his dad had never seen him break down like that. The two of them sat there in silence mostly, the only sound being that of Storm's crying.
Finally, Storm pulled himself up off the floor, and stopped crying for long enough to ask at least one question. "W-where's m-mom?" He asked,still stuttering with almost everything he said.
"She's out getting clothes for the three of us. Luckily she knew you would be coming." His dad answered. Storm didn't question how his mom knew about him coming, seeing as it had happened quite a few times before.
After a bit more of the awkward silence, Storm's mom finally walked in. "Oh, Endless you're here already." She said. It was much harder to tell that she had been crying, but Storm knew her well enough to see it clearly that she was sad. "Well, I think we should start heading for Manehattan then, now that we're all together." She said.
The three of them left the house, headed towards the balloon Storm had just been on. It had already returned to Ponyville, so they had to fly down to Ponyville instead, even if it was difficult for Storm. Once they were there, they got on the train and headed for Manehattan. Magma... You promised you would never leave me... You promised that we would see each other again... You promised. Storm thought.
Author's Note
Well, this was a pretty bad chapter... But that's what happens when you get two hours of sleep and try to write a fanfic... Expect the next ones to be A LOT better than this one
Edit: Took a couple minutes to change some little things. It's still nowhere near good, but I'll fix it a little bit at a time
